Village Annihilation

"Spirit, descend!"

Bei Liqing sneered, chanting incantations in rapid succession. Specks of fluorescence erupted from his Crystal Bracelet, coalescing into a blurred, shimmering figure that stepped into the air.

The figure resembled a wolf, its fur a tawny brown, with wings sprouting from its ribs and short, stunted forelimbs. Its face was a map of deep, craggy ravines, appearing unnaturally ancient.

The moment it appeared, the hearts of the Stone Village clansmen sank in unison.

"It's that Old Bei from Bei Village. Everyone, be careful."

Shi Linhu gripped his Black Heavy Sword with a solemn expression, signaling his clansmen to stay alert; their opponent was an exceptionally troublesome foe.

"Spirit, these lowly people of Stone Village dare to obstruct us from gathering the true blood of fierce beasts for you. I beg you to descend with divine punishment and destroy them all."

The aged-looking Bei Liqing knelt on the ground with his clansmen, bowing low in a flurry of movement.

"Awoo..."

The Old Bei, possessing significant intelligence, let out a low, chilling growl. Its tawny beast eyes scanned the hunting party coldly as it began to raise a stunted claw.

"Whoosh!"

A flash of white light streaked through the air, scattering radiance. A dazzling Sacred Silver Moon shot out, instantly slicing the blurred phantom into countless fragments.

"Just a mere imprint, yet you dare to be so arrogant."

Not far away, Shi Hao lowered his right arm, unhurried.

"Spirit, this..."

The men of Bei Village were completely dumbfounded, staring blankly at the runes dissipating into the air. Their previously invincible Spirit had actually been defeated?

"Whoosh!"

Another silver moon was unleashed, cleaving Bei Liqing—who had been attempting to secretly activate a Beast Tooth Treasure Tool—in two. The village chief of Bei Village died on the spot.

"Sturdy lads of Stone Village, follow me and kill!"

Shi Linhu made a decisive call with a roar, leading his clansmen to charge at the people of Bei Village like tigers descending a mountain, slaughtering the enemy until their ranks collapsed.

With their Spirit shattered and their chief dead, the people of Bei Village lost all will to resist. In only a moment, they were soundly defeated by the hunting party.

"Little One, we owe this victory to you."

Shi Linhu and Shi Feijiao, both covered in the stench of blood, thanked Shi Hao with wide grins; it was clear they had gained a bountiful harvest.

"Now is not the time to relax. There is still one more wave of enemies to deal with."

Shi Hao shook his head, his gaze fixed on the depths of the mountain forest.

"Awoo, awoo..."

At the same time, waves of low, rumbling growls echoed out. Forty or fifty giant wolves with black backs and white fur emerged from the surroundings, encircling them and pacing restlessly.

The Old Bei, whose phantom had been dispersed by Shi Hao's single strike, was now crouching on the back of a tall wolf king, staring at the boy with venomous, hateful eyes.

The revenge of the Bei Village Spirit had arrived!

"Peak Cave Heaven Realm, on the verge of a breakthrough. No wonder the people of Bei Village were suddenly hunting massive numbers of fierce beasts so frantically; it was to assist this Old Bei in breaking through."

Pihou's father, Shi Shoushan, exclaimed, though he did not panic. He turned to look at Shi Linhu: "Captain, summon the village's war beasts. This is not something we can handle alone."

The war beasts of Stone Village naturally referred to the Azure Heaven Roc family.

As an archaic remnant, the adult Azure Heaven Roc had already reached the Inscription Realm; capturing an Old Bei at the Cave Heaven Realm would be effortless.

"Right!"

Shi Linhu nodded and pulled a Crystal Bone Flute from his bosom, preparing to blow it.

"Uncle Linhu, there is no need to summon the Azure Heaven Roc. I have brought an Ancestral Artifact."

At this moment, Shi Hao stopped Shi Linhu.

"What? You brought the village's Ancestral Artifact? Which one? Little One, your mastery of Bone Text is superb; you will surely be able to defeat that crippled Old Bei."

Shi Linhu, Shi Feijiao, and the others exchanged glances, all of them pleasantly surprised.

In truth, as the First Ancestral Land of the Shi Clan, Stone Village possessed three great true artifacts: the Crystal Beast Bone, the Blood-Stained Ancient Beast Skin, and the Black Cauldron.

The Crystal Beast Bone was the arm bone of the Suanni King, and the Blood-Stained Ancient Beast Skin was the chest hide of the Golden Bian; both were powerful true artifacts containing the primordial runes of pure-blooded creatures.

In the original records, when the Seven Gods descended to the lower realm, a deity attacked Stone Village. The Zhu Yan and the Vermilion Bird, having just ignited their divine flames, held these two great true artifacts and successfully killed the god.

Even the unrefined Shi Linhu, back when he hadn't yet entered the Blood Moving Realm, had once used the Suanni King's arm bone to drive back the Cave Heaven Realm Old Bei.

As for that Black Cauldron, it was even more formidable.

On the surface, it was a true artifact used by the ancestors of the Shi Clan to refine countless holy medicines, and the White Bone Tripod within it was a part of the Original True Interpretation: Middle Chapter.

Previously, the Original True Interpretation: Transcendence Chapter had always been held by the Supreme Hall of the upper realm. This was enough to suggest that the Seven Kings of the Border Wasteland, who were active in the previous epoch, might have had some mysterious connection to the ancestors of the Supreme Hall.

"Uncle Linhu, Uncle Feijiao, step back."

Shi Hao carefully took out the Blood-Stained Ancient Beast Skin and pressed it against his chest. It immediately erupted with brilliant light.

"Roar!"

Amidst the interweaving of countless runes, a savage, monstrous roar filled with monstrous ferocity echoed through the air, as if an ancient beast from the heavens had been resurrected. A phantom of a Golden Bian, standing dozens of feet tall, appeared behind Shi Hao, roaring wildly toward the sky.

"Awoo! Awoo..."

The Black-Backed Giant Wolves, caught in the wake of that overwhelming ferocity, let out a collective whimper. With tails tucked between their legs, they fled frantically into the depths of the mountain forest, clearing the area in an instant.

As the mount of Old Bei, the Golden Wolf King fared no better; its front limbs knelt upon the ground, its head buried deep into the dirt, trembling uncontrollably.

Had Old Bei not forcibly suppressed it, it would have long since fled into the woods along with the others.

"This divine aura... could it be a divine artifact?"

Though Old Bei could not speak human language, its yellowish-brown beast eyes were filled with intense greed. It was determined to obtain this mysterious treasure.

"You lame Old Bei, go to hell!"

Shi Hao, merged as one with the Golden Bian, gazed coldly ahead. He raised his right foot, now the size of a prayer mat, and brought it down with a thunderous stomp. A massive shadow instantly engulfed the Bei Village Spirit.

"Woo..."

A flicker of panic crossed Old Bei's wrinkled, aged face. Its short front limbs flailed wildly, instantly manifesting a golden beast claw that flew up to meet the attack.

"Crack!"

The golden beast claw shattered. Just as Old Bei leaped from the back of the Wolf King to escape, the massive shadow descended in an instant, pinning it to the ground. Its skull exploded, and its life force ebbed away.

"Hoo!"

Seeing this, Shi Hao let out a sigh of relief and hurriedly exited the merged state. As the Golden Bian phantom faded, a blood-stained piece of ancient beast hide fluttered out.

Pale-faced, Little Shi stumbled, barely managing to catch it.

Even activating a mere sliver of a true divine artifact's power was enough to instantly drain all the divine energy and vitality from a Blood Moving Realm cultivator.

"The Bei Village Spirit is actually dead!"

"To kill a peak Cave Heaven Realm beast in one blow, Little One, you are amazing."

"The village's Ancestral Artifact is truly powerful; what grade of treasure could it be?"

The hunting team members cheered in unison, rushing forward to surround Shi Hao, their voices rising in a constant, boisterous clamor.